Commentary: United Methodist pastor sees reality of poverty

July 29, 2004

The Rev. Chip Hale, from Spanish Fort, Ala., was part of a mission team to Quito, Ecuador.

By the Rev. Chip Hale*

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Ecuador on a church-sponsored mission trip. One morning, I sat atop a new day-care building overlooking the great poverty in a section of Quito, Ecuador.

From that place, I saw a collage of dirt roads, pigs and cows walking about eating what they could, and houses built in patchwork designs with rocks and tires on the roof to keep the tin from blowing off. There were open sewers that ran onto the dirt roads and very few automobiles.

These were the sights, the smells, and the reality of poverty. At that unforgettable moment, my friend, Dewey English, said: “For most of the world this poverty is reality. Our life is the fantasy.”

He was right. You see, I live on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, Ala., and my family has a wonderful life filled with nice things. We eat three nutritious meals a day, we have more clothes than we know what to do with and our roof is secure and dry. My children are educated and we have enough money for some of the “extras” that please us.

I never realized until last week, seeing that abject poverty, how very rich I am.  It is staggering to learn that 70 percent of the world cannot read, and a great portion of the world’s population does not have enough to eat each day.

Poverty creates differences in values. Our mission was to help to construct a day-care center in the capital city of Ecuador. One day, we were applying first concrete or stucco, sealing the wall and, finally, painting over it. Gloria Vander Noot from Gulf Shores (Ala.) United Methodist Church was handing us the needed materials so we could have our hands free to apply the stucco. Beneath us was a small potato plant that an Ecuadorian grandmother had planted. She was intent on us not stuccoing it along with the wall.

The grandmother stood there with her hoe in hand, watching for us to drop a single bit of stucco on her plant, and she railed against us in Spanish the whole time. I told Gloria that if we accidentally dropped stucco on the grandmother’s plant, she would have to haul us up quickly. I was afraid of what the grandmother would do with her hoe. It was the only time the entire trip I was glad I did not understand Spanish.

Fortunately, the potato plant remained unharmed, but this little picture illustrates the clash of values. I cannot tell you how many potatoes are prepared in my home and not eaten, or how much food is forgotten in the refrigerator only to be discarded without a thought. In our culture, one potato is of little importance. In a world of poverty, it is of great significance.

The Rev. Chip Hale greets children during a mission trip to Ecuador.

And then there are the people. Many of their personal stories will break your heart. Conchita has three children, ages 4, 3 and 15 months. Her husband died at 28 from acute alcoholism, so she must work 10 hours a day to support her children. She leaves home before daylight and locks her children in their two-room house. She tries to prepare something for them to eat while she is gone; there is no one to check on them throughout the day.

Michael is a 3-year-old with big, brown eyes. He is fortunate to be in a day-care center. His father is in prison and his mother is an alcoholic. He and his sister walk unattended to the center every day. I smiled as I helped him color a fish within the lines and all my teeth showed. He looked up at my face, tried to imitate my smile and hugged me.

In the various day-care centers we visited, they asked me to put my hands on each of the children’s heads and pray a prayer of blessings. They say every mission trip you go on, you meet at least one child who will always occupy a corner of your heart.  Michael will always be in mine. His life is hard, but it is so much better than the lives of Conchita and her children.

This day-care building is now complete. Soon it will open its doors for 160 children, and it is my hope to be a part of building another day care in a rural section of Ecuador. Because of our efforts, some children will have a better life, and tomorrow will not be the same for these families. Nor will life ever be the same for me.

*The Rev. Chip Hale is pastor of Spanish Fort United Methodist Church, Spanish Fort, Ala.

News media contact: Linda Bloom (646)369-3759 or e-mail: newsdesk@umcom.org.

Resource The General Board of Global Ministries Ecuador Country Profile ReliefWeb: Ecuador